The Nazarick Run
by ZetaCommand
Summary: Nazarick's defenses are tough to crack in more ways than one.


The Nazarick Run

Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord or SAO.

* * *

~ Nazarick, 9th Floor, Residential Suites ~

Akari lay in her bed staring at the ceiling whilst she thought about how to achieve her goal, one that was continuously and masterfully deflected by her father, Ainz Ooal Gown. The goal was actually pretty simple and didn't seem too important to the casual observer. Indeed, shortsighted beings, such as humans, would expect someone in Akari's position to claim her own territory or make a play for the throne.

The last one was particularly laughable. Why would she, of all people, try to make a grab for the throne? Truly, the lesser beings did not grasp the true meaning of loyalty and family.

It all began on one relatively boring day when Ainz took Akari out on a tour of the city of E-Rantel which, according to the history books, was the very first territory acquired by Ainz. Disguised as an Mithril-plate Adventurer and his daughter who sought to settle down, Ainz subtly emphasized the many facets of mortal life rather than the actual sights or layout of the city during the tour.

The true goal of the master of Nazarick was to show her how people behaved in general so that in the event she would venture out of Nazarick she would not seem out of place or worse...overly naive. As he spoke, Ainz tried to be as general and comprehensive as possible with the facts so as not to give her too much of a focus on a subject and exclude all possible observations which would limit her learnings. The Undead ruler was more aware than anyone that the residents of Nazarick had a very linear outlook on things and despite his gentle guidance he had only met with limited success in changing that over the years. The life of a president of a company was truly much harder in practice than was shown in those TV shows he used to watch before he discovered Yggdrasil.

"So that is mostly how people live outside of Nazarick," Ainz concluded as he sat down on a chair, "Do you have any questions?"

After the tour, they stayed in a four-star hotel to better uphold the illusion of being just a Mithril-plate Adventurer. He sought to discuss the day's events and hopefully correct any misconceptions she might have formed like certain members of Nazarick did on (more than one) occasion.

"Yes, father, I have a question," She said after thinking for a while, "Why were children occasionally accompanied by a female? Are they servants perhaps, like the maids in Nazarick?"

"Hmm, ah, no," Ainz responded, "Those are their mothers."

After the response Ainz explained how children were brought into the world, particularly those of humans, while omitting what his morals considered inappropriate - which was a lot.

"Hmm, so everything that is living has a mother?" Akari asked.

"Umu," Ainz answered, "That is correct."

The next question, however, came as a surprise.

"So...where is my mother?"

The pinpricks of red light that served as Ainz's eyes flickered momentarily at the unexpected question.

"Um...uh," Ainz stuttered, "Hey! Did you know that we discovered a new continent over to the east Akari-chan? There are all sorts of new things over there not found on this continent!"

"Uwaaa!" Akari's eyes widened with wonder at this new information.

"Indeed," Ainz said both proud that he managed to deflect the question and draw out such a cute expression from his child.

"While I have reached my goal of forming a society where all races co-exist here, it appears that there is more work to be done over..."

The talk about the new land continued on late into the night as neither really needed any sleep. However, over the years the same question popped up in multiple variants only for Ainz to skillfully deflect them each time. It wasn't really intentional either, mostly by impulse brought about whenever the presented facts spurred the question. However, the continent-wide feast in honor of her "birthday" as her father called it, was just around the corner and the event brought back those earlier memories and the gnawing sensation of curiosity returned with vengeance.

"Okay! That's it!" She growled as she hopped off her bed, "This ends now!"

She slammed the door open as she walked out, startling the maid in the next room assigned to tend to her.

"Akari-sama!" She called out, clearly frightened, "What can I get for you? There is no need to trouble yourself."

"Nothing," Akari said curtly, "I merely wish to take a walk around Nazarick."

"Oh...Then I shall fetch the other attendants-"

"No, you won't," Akari cut her off, "I'll be walking alone. You're dismissed."

"*sniff *sniff" The maid sobbed upon hearing the words, "Akari-sama what have I done to earn your displeasure!? Please do not send me out into the world, devoid of the Supreme Beings' light! I promise to atone for it! Even with my life!"

"Huh?!" Akari blurted out, "What are you- I didn't mean it that way! Hey!"

By now the maid was a sobbing wreck and clinging pitifully to her leg.

"Hey! Hey! Look at me!" Akari grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her up to eye level, "I didn't mean 'you're fired from work', I meant you should take a break _from work_."

"Thank you for your benevolence, Akari-sama..." The maid sniffed.

"Yeah, sure. Go enjoy yourself." The Nazarick heir mumbled, her thoughts already drifting.

The Floor Guardians should know the answer to her question. Now who to ask first...

"Wait! Akari-sama!" The maid's cry interrupted her thoughts.

"What is it now...Lumina right?" Akari fought the urge to roll her eyes as she dredged up the maid's name.

"Kyaaaaaa!~ You remembered my name!" The maid squealed in delight, "Ahem! I know how to best spend my break!"

"I will attend to you!" She beamed brightly.

Akari gave her a look before teleporting out of the 9th Floor.

* * *

~ Throne Room ~

"Heheee! My beloved sat here only a few hours ago! I must not waste this chance to leave my scent!" A black-haired beauty whispered in delight as she moved around a throne made to accommodate a slightly larger being.

Unknown to her, however, she was being observed.

"Albedo-san."

"Eeeeep!"

Albedo jumped to see Akari standing a few feet away from her, head titled slightly to the side in confusion.

"A-Akari-sama! What can I do for you?" Albedo plastered a smile on her face though her right eye was twitching uncontrollably.

Akari, in turn, stared back at the Overseer of Nazarick. Based on the 28 conversations she had with the Overseer, Akari didn't really know what to make of her other than the fact that while she had the appearance of a prim and proper lady, she was actually a raging (and unstable) engine of emotion especially in matters concerning her father. Anyway...

"I have a question, Albedo-san."

"I will endeavor to answer." Albedo curtsied though her eye twitched as she did so.

"There it is again," Akari noted Albedo's tick, "AGHH! Focus Akari!"

"Who is my mother?"

"Wha- how could- why are rubbing this in my face?! WAAAAAAAH!" Albedo ran out of the room crying.

Faced with the sheer weirdness of the event Akari's mind turned to the refuge of information in order to avoid being stunned into inaction.

"48.5 seconds. That's longer than any other talk I've had with her..."

* * *

~ Nazarick, 8th Floor ~

"Let's see..." Akari mused as she teleported into the 8th floor, "Victim should be around here somewhere."

The heir of Nazarick had only seen Victim on a handful of occasions, having very little reason to visit the 8th Floor and when she did visit their paths never intersected.

"Ah, there he is!" Akari turned to see a floating angel fetus a few feet away.

"Victim-san!" Akari called out waving her hand.

The NPC turned around, its eyes arching in joy as it flapped towards her.

"slluks rof eht lluks enorht!" Victim greeted her in a cheerful voice.

At least that's what she thought was his mood.

Akari could clearly detect the tone of voice Victim used, however, every part of his speech seemed like gibberish to her. The young heir _clearly_ remembered speaking to Victim as a child and understanding him but now...

"Uh...how are you?" She tried again.

"l ma latrommi!" Victim bobbed once again.

"How is this going to work?!" Akari asked herself internally once she confirmed it wasn't an earlier lapse of concentration.

"Akari-sama! Welcome!" came a voice from behind her.

The duo turned to see a penguin being carried by a masked attendant.

"Eclair? What are you doing here?" Akari asked.

"I was just on my way back from Demiurge-sama's laboratory," Eclair answered, "He needed his tools cleaned, those sheep parts really know how to clog a space or two."

"Oh? Victim-sama, how's it going?" The penguin turned to the floating fetus.

"Eht krad edis si ym retsam!" Victim responded.

Akari blinked as she observed the seemingly one-sided conversation between the two before she intervened.

"Wait, Eclair, are you telling me you understand him?" She asked.

"Why yes Akari-sama!" Eclair nodded, "Don't you?"

A beat passed before understanding dawned on Eclair and his features darkened.

"Victim-sama! How many time must Ainz-sama tell you?" Eclair chided gently, "Do not mumble! You're inconveniencing Akari-sama over here."

"kcik eht serit dna thgil eht serif!" Victim wobbled apologetically to Akari.

She sighed deeply. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

~ 7th Floor, Demiurge's Labs ~

"And so, this particular organ in sheep is quite a mystery as it really serves no function..." Demiurge's lecture sounded distant as Akari brooded on how she couldn't obtain a name or even any useful information from victim and Eclair.

For her next possible source of information Akari decided she would ask Demiurge during his lessons on "sapients" or rather the inhabitants of this continent. It was generous term considering how backwards they were when her father first encountered them, and they were currently still technologically behind even under his current rule. Mustn't give the tenants a larger stick and all that.

A corner of her mind was intrigued at what new creatures the campaign in the other continent would bring, but that could wait.

Her head resting on her palm, Akari poked the organ Demiurge was lecturing about in order to relieve herself of boredom. Unsurprisingly, the organ throbbed and the creature screamed though the effect was greatly minimized since it was gagged with what appeared to be the remnants of its clothes.

"Very good Akari-sama! It appears it does have a function after all, though the other organs would suffice as well, at least in this sheep's state." Demiurge beamed at his star (and second) pupil.

Tears rolled down the sheep's face whether in due to pain or sadness, maybe both, but Akari didn't care.

She looked impassively at the creature or rather the "human" as the books called it, struggle against its restraints. Its entire torso was cut open expertly, revealing the quivering insides to the teacher and student.

On a tray next to Demiurge were some vials containing various potions that were essential to keep the human alive and conscious.

They were invented by Nazarick's first native pharmacist Inferia...or was it inferior? Ironically, he was also human.

How this sort of creature came to be the "dominant" life form of this continent until her father reawakened baffled her as she took in the number of potions on the tray. They were as a rule squishy, with only a few ever attaining enough strength to last for a few seconds against a guardian. They also required rigorous training and investment to fully show their potential unlike the residents of Nazarick who were gifted with the knowledge of what they could do and how to use their skills immediately.

Without turning her head Akari looked at Demiurge who had a huge smile plastered on his face. He always had one whenever she was around just like uncle Cocytus.

When she was young Akari thought that he was quite a shifty fellow. For one thing he never lied but his words carried double meanings or left out bits of information necessary to form an idea of what his plans were. However, gradually she realized Demiurge was truly loyal to her father and dismissed his methods and manner of speech as a quirk of invention by his maker.

"It is best not to poke too hard Akari-sama," Demiurge said as he gently touched a random organ, eliciting another pained howl from the human.

"While it is extremely easy to best a human, capturing one alive and unharmed without spells requires a gentler touch."

Ah, that's right. Today's lesson was about how a human's body worked.

"Well, that should cover everything. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, but not about this topic." Akari answered.

"Oh? Well, I will answer if I am capable of course, Akari-sama."

"Where is my mother?" Akari asked.

Demiurge's diamond eyes widened and his finger accidentally punctured the organ of the human he was poking at only a few seconds ago.

"Why she's in...that is to say she..." Sweat poured from every pore of Demiurge's face as he struggled to find the right way to answer.

"Oh, dear!" He exclaimed as he looked down. The human had died.

"Excuse me Akari-sama, I must see to its revival." Demiurge said, hurriedly packing the objects around him.

"Why? You said they were plentiful." Akari questioned, annoyed that he was about to answer her question.

"This one is exceptional." Demiurge stood up straight, "He is one of the bishops of the former Slane Theocracy and your father has ordered that he be kept alive and miserable until he deems fit. I brought him from the 5th Floor as he could further atone for his sin against your father by contributing to your education."

The Slane Theocracy? Akari's eyebrow arched. That was the place where Shalltear was assigned to at the moment. She was to rule the land as she saw fit in order that its inhabitants answer for some insult to both her father and Shalltear at some point in the distant past.

"I shall see you for the next lesson, Akari-sama." Demiurge bowed as an assistant wheeled away the corpse.

"Hey, I'm not done with-" Akari never finished her sentence as Demiurge walked out in a brisk pace, his sweat pattering on the floor.

"...oh come on!"

* * *

~ Nazarick 5th Floor, Glacier ~

"How. May. I. Serve. Akari-sama?" Cocytus inquired.

Several Frost Virgins hurried about to set up tea for the unexpected visit of Nazarick's heir.

"Don't be too formal uncle Cocytus," Akari said with a smile, "This is purely a social call."

"Oh! I. Am. Honored. Akari-sama." Cocytus' eyes bulged out in surprise and delight.

"Ah, actually, I do need a bit of help..." She began.

"Ngh! What. Sort. Of. Villain. Has. Insulted. You?!" In a flash all of Cocytus' prized and most powerful weapons appeared in all four of his arms.

"No, nothing of the sort-"

"Even. Before. You. Were. Born. I. Promised. That. I. Would. Protect. You. From. All. Who. Would. Harm. You." Cocytus' arms waved his weapons about, as he dueled with imaginary foes in his mind.

"Ah, I'm just here to ask a question," Akari said, attempting to get the Guardian's mind back to reality, "But coincidentally, it is about that."

"Oh?" Cocytus titled his head to the side.

Akari took a deep breath before asking her questions.

"Will you tell me about my mother? Do you know where she is?" Akari asked.

"Ah! Of. Course. Akari-sama."

"Then, I have no choice, I must use my authority to ord- Really?!" Akari stood up in delight.

She had expected some transparent excuse method of escape like Demiurge did earlier, or flat outright refusal. Maybe Cocytus would even run away like Albedo did (He did have six limbs). Third time's the charm!

"It. All. Began. When. We. First. Came. To. This. World..." Cocytus began, his eye beginning to glaze over with his memories.

"Uh, uncle,there's no need to go that far..." Akari began.

"Hmm, but. She. Came. Soon. After." Cocytus replied.

"...Oh."

* * *

~ Treehouse, Nazarick, 6th floor ~

Akari stomped through the forest, fuming with rage. How?! How could she?! How could she space out like that?!

At some point in Cocytus' narration, the Guardian's voice became distant and focusing became difficult. When Akari opened her eyes next Cocytus had apparently just ended the tale. Apparently she had dozed off, there was even the makings of a drool on her lip. How unsightly!

It took every ounce of self-control she had to politely thank Cocytus before leaving.

She couldn't risk going back there again to ask a second time. Who knows what might happen?

So now she was making her way to two of the other Guardians who were currently in Nazarick.

Flapping her wings, Akari rose up into the treehouse that served as the abode of the two Floor Guardians of the level and knocked politely once she reached the entrance.

The door opened to reveal a beaming Dark Elf with heterochromic eyes.

"Akari-sama! How can we serve you today?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Hey, Aura, just here for a chat," Akari replied, "That's all there is. Sorry if you were expecting some action."

"To spend time with the heir of Nazarick is the best thing to happen this week," The Dark Elf woman gushed, "Not that I would skirt my duties if ordered of course!"

Since the treehouse was not build to scale a shrink spell was needed to enter. Once activated, Akari stepped in and she noticed that the temperature was much cooler than it was on the outside. Ah, that's right. He liked it cold.

"Hey! Mare!" Aura yelled, "Get your ass down here now and show some respect to Akari-sama!"

In contrast to her earlier behavior Aura's tone became abrasive and commanding.

Within seconds a quivering form descended from the steps in a rush, almost tripping over himself.

"G-good afternoon Akari-sama!" Mare greeted her with a timid smile.

"Hey Mare," Akari greeted him back with a friendly wave, "Just here on a visit."

The three settled down in the dining area of the house after the two Dark Elves prepared the table as best as they could. As Akari sat down she noticed that the items were a bit too small compared to the last time she visited. Suddenly, she remembered her father saying that originally the twins were once children and the items within the home reflected that.

It was easy to forget since Aura had the appearance of a young woman but dressed in male clothes while Mare, who looked a bit more effeminate, wore female clothing. Still, Akari could immediately determine their genders from the start. Those inhabitants outside Nazarick had some weird perceptions not to notice this themselves.

"I think its about time, the tea was ready," Aura declared as she got up,"Please excuse me, Akari-sama."

Before she left Aura leaned beside Mare.

"Don't. Embarass. Me." She warned her brother, making him quiver as she went to get the tea.

Mare turned to see Akari still smiling angelically at him, casing the young adult Dark Elf to seek something to focus his gaze on. However, his loyalty and his sister's earlier warning warred within, making his body obeying contradicting thoughts.

"So...Mare, just like others you were here from the beginning right?" Akari asked.

"Um-Yes! Akari-sama, We were young b-back then." Mare stuttered.

"Aaanywayy, You know that my father is out working now right?" The heir asked.

"Y-yes! H-he always preferred to work whenever possible," Mare answered, not really knowing where this was going. Over the years he could not grasp the magnitude of the plans the Supreme Beings made seemingly on a whim.

"Which means I'm in charge while he's gone right?"

"Y-yes..."

The angelic smile disappeared and was replaced by a serious look. Mare had never seen this look before in Akari and made him want to shrink in his seat.

"Its quite simple Mare," Akari began, "I'm going to ask a question. And you're going to answer it. Truthfully."

Mare nodded fearfully.

In her mind Akari was giving herself a high-five. She knew Aura's personality well enough around Mare and mimicked her mannerisms in order to prevent Mare from avoiding what was to come next.

"Again, its simple," Akari continued, "Where is-"

A frantic knock interrupted her in mid-speech.

"Akari-sama! Akari-sama! Are you in there?!"

"What the hell..." Akari mumbled as turned around.

Through the window Akari thought she saw a tuft of light brown hair flash by. Wait...they were high up the giant tree!

"Akari-sama?!"

Now Akari remembered. It was the maid...Lumina! How did she get up here anyway?!

"Kyaaa! Akari-sama! I can sense your glorious presence within! I shall be inside in a moment!"

Making a snap decision Akari teleported out of the treehouse.

* * *

~ Nazarick, 9th Floor ~

Akari stomped through the halls in a thoroughly foul mood. It wasn't really so much that she did not achieve what she set out to do, but rather the time that was wasted. There were more pressing things to consider for her station but this little side trip cost far more than the potential gain. There was a saying that something was better than nothing, but in her case she obtained nothing in the past two days except a maid that stalked her.

Not wanting to be outdone even by external factors Akari resolved to ask her father directly the next time he dropped by, and this time there would be no more excuses to leave. She would-

Akari did a double take as she noticed two maids standing front of a door of a guest room. She looked around the giant hallway to make sure that there was nothing out of the ordinary. What made this scene so strange was that Nazarick _never_ had guests to her knowledge. All official business was conducted in the capital of E-Rantel and the palace therein.

As she walked over the maids finally noticed her and stiffened to attention.

"Good evening, Akari-sama." They said in unison as they bowed deferentially.

"Why are you two standing out here?" Akari asked, "Is there a visiting dignitary? From the other continent perhaps?"

The two maids looked at each other uncertainly.

"Not exactly, Akari-sama," One finally answered, "The one inside is, um, a permanent guest of Ainz-sama."

Akari resisted the urge to scratch her cheek. How could a guest be permanent? That wasn't some euphemism of being held prisoner because there were only two places they could end up: either with Demiurge on the 7th Floor or with Neuronist in the 5th.

"Why was I not informed of this?" She asked.

"Her arrival was unexpected Akari-sama."

Someone who could enter Nazarick on a whim? This was getting interesting.

"Well then, I should greet our guest then," Akari said, "Its not often one is blessed to be hosted by my father."

"Um, S-she does not like to be disturbed Akari-sama." The other maid said timidly.

"I think, a simple 'hello' would be far from a disturbance," Akari was a bit annoyed by the maid's attempt to stop her from entering but remembered her father's counsel to consider any suggestions offered. Even if one did not like the solution or if it was ineffective that didn't mean that a good idea could not be born from it.

"Wait-she?!" Akari realized what the implications of the maid's answer before the door closed behind her on its own.

A thick fog swirled gently around the room though it offered no negative effects other than impede visibility. Moving forward Akari made her way into the interior, careful not to stumble upon any of the furniture. Even with her eyesight, the fog was still effective at blocking her view.

Suddenly a voice echoed throughout the room.

"I said I was not to be disturbed."

Akari squinted and noticed two small red lights in the room. Their spacing and position could only mean it was the eyes of a person.

"As Heir to Nazarick, I merely wished to greet my father's guest in his place." Akari said as politely as she could with a little bit of authority.

"Hmph! At least he taught you manners," The voice responded after a while, "I can only hope for the rest though."

Now Akari was annoyed. This person was talking like that about her father!

"I should think that is a bit presumptuous for a guest to say," Akari said, the previous day's events still in her mind, "The people of this land exist by his sufferance, it is his decision on how to educate others, including me."

"Guest? Ah, yes. He always did like to keep things exclusive," The guest replied amusedly, "Him and his precious little clubhouse."

"And who are you to say such a thing?!" Akari was getting annoyed by this person.

"I suppose 'guest' is indeed proper," She responded, "Our agreement was that I could leave at anytime I wished."

The statement shocked Akari. Who would want to leave Nazarick?!

"But you didn't." Akari began, trying to get new information about this person who would demand such a thing from Ainz Ooal Gown.

"No." The guest replied after a while.

Akari got the feeling she was being examined during the brief pause of the answer.

"Why would you want to leave?" Akari asked finally.

"Because I was not from around here, and Ainz was only asking for a temporary alliance. So why not?"

Akari's elfin ears twitched upon hearing her father addressed so personally. Suddenly she caught sight of the pacing figure, revealing four scythed wings on her back. Hey!

She looked back at her own wings which were extremely similar in appearance.

"So what do you do for him?" She asked, her earlier annoyance now replaced with growing curiosity about this person.

"Lots of things, right now I'm taking care of business on the other continent, hence my previous concern on him educating you," The figure paused, "He has told you about the other continent right?"

"Yes." Akari answered as the figure finally emerged from the fog.

She noted her pale skin, the black sclera, lavender hair with tips of red and the four wings from earlier.

Akari tugged at her own lavender hair unconsciously where she let a clump hang freely over her shoulder.

"Picked up the habit I see, Akari," The guest smiled, revealing the sharpened canines of a vampire.

"So...I have a question." Akari returned the smile.

* * *

Author's note:

Well, I'm back. As I stated in my other work, I was going to take a two month hiatus because of something very important and then work on this one shot in order to get back into the feel of writing. However, it took much longer than expected to get motivated even with the notes already present.

Anyway, this is just a one shot and is thus not considered cannon in my other story. It takes place in the crossover I'm working on hence the disclaimer and of course, in the future. However, you can, in fact, just replace the last character with whoever you want, be they your own OC or some other character from Nazarick that you favor. Almost all of the characters in Nazarick were going to be featured but they got cut once I realized how long the story would be.

Also there are a lot of loopholes here but again it is just a one-shot story. Now that this is done and I do feel like writing again its time to continue with my other works. Feeling re-invigorated isn't a bad way to end the year and start the new one right?

Until next time.


End file.
